The state of electric vehicles in Australia

The Electric Vehicle Council and ClimateWorks published their report ‘The state of electric vehicles in Australia” last week. The report provides great insights into the uptake (or lack thereof) of electric cars in Australia. Here are a few key findings that I believe stand out:

Model Availability

What really surprised me in this report were the insights into consumer attitudes. 50% of the respondents said they would consider buying an electric vehicle. That is massive! So why is the uptake so low?

Vehicle range and access to charging stations were common concerns as well as the currently limited choice and high prices of vehicles and lack of government incentives.

Anyone who has seriously considered (or bought) an all-electric car knows that we aren’t exactly spoilt for choice in Australia. The cheapest all-electric car is the Nissan Leaf, followed by the BMWi3 and the much higher priced Teslas.

After a quick visit to the Nissan website my heart sank. The site says “Unfortunately the Nissan LEAF is currently not available for sale in Australia.”

So, you either have to buy a second hand Nissan Leaf or Mitsubishi i-MiEV or if you want a new car you can either by the BMWi3 or a very expensive Tesla. That explains everything.

We all know that the lack of charging infrastructure is one of the biggest barriers to electric vehicle uptake. The report states, that there are currently 476 dedicated electric vehicle charging stations in Australia. As per articles in InsideEVs, the US has 16,038 public electric stations and Germany had 7,407 public charging points installed at the end of 2016.

ACT and TAS have the highest number of charging stations on a per capita basis while NSW and VIC have the most charging stations in actual figures.

While I understand that most charging takes place at home or at work, I still believe that EV ownership would increase with more infrastructure available, especially for people who live in or rent apartments and don’t have off-street parking. This is why we founded Everty and we will watch this market develop quickly.

We would also like to understand how Aussie EV drivers charge and would like you to help us by completing this short survey. The questionnaire should not take longer than 3-5 minutes. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE SURVEY

ACT takes on a leadership role

Highest number of electric vehicles (18) per 10,000 vehicles sold. This is twice as much as the runner up. (SA=9, VIC=8 NSW=7, QLD&TAS=5, NT=4, WA=3)

ACT has the highest number of incentives for EV drivers. These incentives are stamp duty, registration and tax discounts, charging infrastructure support, vehicle lane and parking privileges, Government fleet initiatives, and information and education programs.

Compared to other states, financial incentives based on a comparison for a $60,000 car are more than double than the next best state (QLD).

ACT has the highest number of charging stations per 100,000 residents.

Given that the ACT has ambitious goals to use 100% renewable energy by 2020 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, electric vehicles will have a role to play and their uptake must increase significantly.

On a personal note, I am always amazed by the fact that ACT is such a progressive state. I just wish our federal policy makers in Canberra would follow ACTs lead!

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An electric car is a great way to save a lot of money on gas. You’ll be saving not only yourself, but also your family a huge amount of money. The environmental impact of an electric car is zero, as well – meaning you’re reducing your carbon footprint and positively affecting the economy.